Nyasasaurus

Nyasa lizard

• Nyasa · Nyasa (Chewa/Nyasa word for Lake Malawi/ · lake, referring to Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) region
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name means "Nyasa lizard". It refers to Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi), near where the fossils were found in the Ruhuhu Basin of southern Tanzania. The species name, N. cromptoni, honours paleontologist A. W. "Fuzz" Crompton, who collected the material in 1932 with others.

Named by

Nesbitt et al.

Year named

2013

Period

Middle Triassic

Stage

Anisian

Found in

Manda Formation, Ruhuhu Basin, Ruvuma Region, Tanzania

Known from fragmentary remains. It may be one of the earliest dinosaurs, or a close dinosaur relative (dinosauriform) just outside Dinosauria. Its status is debated because the material is incomplete.